Improvement in machines for driving nails



s. w.. PHELPS. I MACHINE FOR DRIVING NAILS.

No. 108,624 Patented 001;. 25, 1870.

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216: fi \H-r Wz'i'nesses THE 040mm PETER: co mom-ulna. wuwaamn. n (L UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL W. PHELPS. .or shnnusuv, OHIO.

Spccification forming part of Letters Patent No. 108,624, dated October 25, 1870.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL PHELPS, of Sandusky, in the county of Erie, in the State of Ohio, have inventedan Improved Nail- Driving "Machine. of which the following is a specification.

"lhefirst part of my invention relates to the gearing of a lever in such a manner as to exert power advantageously in the driving of small nails and brads in the manufacture of small boxes, such as those made to contain grapes, cigars, and other like articles, and to apply the power by the foot, so as to leave the hands free for other duty.

The second part of my invention relates to the pivoting of one or more jointed rods of metal to such lever and providing grooved ways for such rod or rods to move in, so that they shall act in right lines, and so that. the operator may graduate and control the force exerted at will, in order to drive the smallest and shortest nails and brads with the greatest quickness, precision, and certainty.

\Vithout my devices, orsiniilar ones, nails and brads have to be made longer and sharper point-ed than would otherwise be necessary, in order that they may be pricked into the wood or. other material by the aid of the thumb and finger, and thus the operatioubecomes a very tedious one, requiring much patience and practiced skill, whereas by the use of my devices the nails and brads, however shortand small, maybe placed in such grooved ways, in frontof the driving-rods hereinafter described, and forced home with the greatest facility. Any number of such drivers may be arranged so as to be operated by the same lever at once, so as to drive as many nails as may be desired, in one right line, into a box at one operation, and thus greatly facilitate the manufacture of such boxes.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my machine; and Fig. 2 represents aperspectivc view of a portion of the red (I, driverf, guide 13, plater, with its groove 0.

The frame for the operative parts of the machines is composed of the pieces A A A, titted and fastened together as shown; and Q is a platform or bench upon which the work is to be done.

venientheight from the ground for the opera- This bench may be placed at a contor to either sit or stand while operating the machine. I

The upright 13 is framed into the bench G and top piece, A, in any suitable manner, or as shown in the drawings, and serves to "stiffen the frame, as a guide for the jointed rod d,

and as a bearing for the axles of. the pulley P and wheel H.

The lcverl) extends down through a suitable slot in the bench C, and is pivoted upon the rod 91-, which passes through it and into the bench again in the rear.

In the upright B a vertical slot is provided of sufticient length to allow the rod (1, which passes through it, the requisite play room.

That slot is indicated by dotted lines in Fig.

1, and the back end of the rod d is pivoted in the lever D, as shown at 1), same figure. A metal plate, S, is fastened upon the upright, as shown, to prevent the said slot from being worn out of shape.

The lever D is pivoted upon the bolt n, which passes horizontally through the bench C, as shown,.and when that lever is drawn forward in the act of driving a nail or nails it occupies the position indicated by the dotted lines o n, Fig. 1. As a guide for the nails and the driver f, the plate 2, having the groove 0, is screwed down uponthe bench, and the drive'rf is connected with the rod dby a hingejoint, and moves back and forth in the groove when operated by the lever D. In order to further guide and confiuethe driver iii its goove, a box of sheet metal, 2', or the form showinis fastened to the plate 1*. The outer end of the groove 0 and the outer end of the driver f should be made exactly of the sizes suitable to the forms and sizes of the nails to be driven.

it will be observed that Fig. 1 shows merely the front edges of the franie-piecesA A A, the upright B, and bench O, and that these parts may be made just as wide as maybe required for the operation of any number of rods and drivers that may be desired.

In order to operate thelever, a thin elastic sheet of suitable metal, or a strip of leather, should be fastened to its top end, and should extend thence over the pulley P, and its extremity be furnished with a suitable hole for the upper hook on the rod 9. This rod, by means of a hook on its lower end, after passing through a vertical hole through the bench,

1 it and the upright B, as shown.

piece h is made fast upon the side of the wheel 3H, very near its periphery. Now, when the forms a similar connection with a strap of metal or leather, Z, which, is fastened upon the periphery of the wheel H, and this wheel turns upon its bearing-pin g, which passes through foot is pressed upon the piece h, the band-is drawn over the pulley I, and the lever l) is drawn forward'into the position shown by the The foot-- outside of the frame, and a proper distance to furnish the required elasticity, and theii fastened to a staple therein.

- I claim as my 'invention 1. The lever D, with its pivoted bearing 71,

the rod (2 and the driver f, connected there-.- with by a hinge-joint, the grooved plate 0-,-

guide w, and bench 0, when combined and operated substantially in the manner and for thepurpose set forth.

2. The frame AA A, the upright B and its I pulleys P, the wheel H, and the foot-piece h,

strap Z, rod e, strap j, and pulley T and elastic band mpwhen combined substantially in the manner set forth and described.

SAML. W. PHELPS.

Witnesses: BENJAMIN F. LEE, HOMER GooDwIN. 

